Title: The Search for WondLa

Author: Tony Diterlizzi

Genre: Fantasy, Children

Published: September 21, 2010

Eva Nine had spent her entire life underground being raised by a robot she called Muthr. One day her home was attacked by a creature known as Besteel. The book was Eva's adventures trying to escape the hunter.

I must say I was surprised more of my questions were answered than I was expecting. I will admit some of the questions I had were not even a consideration within the frame of the story, but they did occur to me and I am still wondering about the answers.

The world building was really well done. Each new scenery description was vivid with interesting creatures.I did feel as if the characters were being pushed forward so they could get to the next landscape.

I enjoyed the characters especially Otto, the really large water bear who was completely devoted to Eva.

The best part of the book was the pictures. They were incredibly detailed and greatly enhanced the story.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.

Review: An Abundance of Katherines

Title: An Abundance of Kathrines

Author: John Green

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Published: September 21, 2006

Colin had been dumped by the 19th Kathrine in a row. His best friend Hassan decided they needed to take a road trip to help Colin overcome his heartache.

This might show my geeky side, but I thought it was absolutely fantastic both Tesla and Farnsworth were talked about within the story. I thought the author wrote an incredibly intelligent character well. Colin was self-centered and whiny for a good portion of the book, but not in a mean way. When someone called him on it he would be think about it and decide they were right. The way Colin gave off trivia he believed interesting was never condescending and covered a large amount of subjects, which I really liked.

One of the best things about this book was the humor. It was often unexpected and more than once I laughed out loud, which is unusual for me while reading.

There a couple of reasons I am not giving this book five stars. The first was the overuse of  the word fug. It was replacing a similar swear word and used very liberally. It didn't need it and actually detracted from the story. I also got tired of listening to Colin moan about the loss of Kathrine 19. I realize this was the basis behind the book, but still he did become annoying about lack of having her in his life.

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Title: Lie Lay Lain

Author: Bryn Greenwood

Genre: Contemporary

Published: April 3, 2014

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer witnessed a fatal hit and run. The victim, mistaking Jennifer for her sister, asked Jennifer to take care of her daughter Shanti. Jennifer's experience started to adversely affect other aspects in her life. Olivia was stuck looking after her brother who had been in a motorcycle accident. She told a lie about having a paramedic boyfriend. The two women's lives intersected.

The first chapter when the hit and run first happened I thought this is interesting and I could see real possibilities for the story. Then the second chapter followed. I honestly didn't like either Jennifer or Olivia. In fact I didn't like any of the characters. Jennifer was shallow and judge mental. Olivia was a dull pushover. They both had people bulldoze their wants and lives.

Around page 200 I thought that would be a good place to end the book. There was a sense of closer regarding Shanti and Olivia only needed one or two more chapters to fix what was wrong in her life. Then I looked down at how many pages I had left. There were over a hundred. Funny enough it was a little past this point in the book where I began to be interested in what was going to happen to the characters. By the time I reach that point the only real thing I had invested in this story was my time, which wasn't really enough of an impression to actually touch me.

Overall I gave this book 2 stars out of 5.

Title: Where's Sandra?

Author: J.C. Petersen

Genre: Contemporary

Published: September 21, 2013

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book was supposed to be about a woman and how she related to her parents. The plot and its intentions were not completely clear.

The main character's name was Sandra. She went from place to place and took the easiest path. She was unable to stand up for herself and then blamed outside influences for the outcomes. Tom, her father, didn't listen to his wife or daughter. He thought he knew what was best and used his knowledge to make decisions. He also flirted indiscriminately with every female he came across throughout the story. Sandra's mother was named Jenny. She was dissatisfied, bored, loud and liked to get her way. When things didn't go as she expected them to she would get a migraine. I never felt really connected with any of the characters.

The transitions between the scenes were abrupt. I would be thrown out of the story each time one would happen. It actually got better when I started speed reading.

Honestly the best part of the book was Sandra's two dogs, Tom and Gerry.

Overall I gave this book 2 stars out of 5.

Title: The Tyrant's Daughter

Author: J.C. Carleson

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Published February 11, 2014

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Laila, her brother Bastian, and their mother took refuge in the U.S. after there was a coup in their country. Their mother wanted Bastian to rule so she conspired with the CIA to make it happen.

This story was told from the point of view of Laila. I think it might have helped me like the book more that I don't remember reading the synopsis. The story had good flow and I found the narrator engaging.

It was about perceptions we have of our world and the people in it. Then something happens and those perceptions can be shattered. The question was what would we do next and how would we handle the new way of seeing things. Her firsts were fun. I really enjoyed Laila's  experiences in libraries.  At one point she realizes everything is about context. The context of her world, the things she had experience, along with those she was experiences, had changed. In her country there would never have been a dance to go to. In the U.S. not only was there a dance, but it was expected for her to go.

I did have one problem with the story. With everything their family had gone through, along with the dramatic shift in culture, I think Laila would have had more psychological problems. The author did address this a little, but I would have liked to see her go in depth a little more.

Overall I gave this story 4 stars out of 5.